W Wrestling

Salata, Hildebrandt set to wrestle at Senior PanAms

Apr 04, 2013

BRSITOL, Tenn. – Following their performances at the past two events, King University women's wrestler's Sarah Hildebrandt and Julia Salata will be competing at the Senior PanAm Games in Panama City, Panama this weekend. The duo will be competing for team U.S. Senior National team in the international competition.

This marks the first time either student-athlete has made a Senior World team, as both have competed at the junior level before. Salata competed at the University World Championships in Finland while Hildebrandt traveled to the Junior World Championships in Thailand. Both Hildebrandt and Salata won silver at the Lady Clippan Open in Sweden in their respective weight classes.

Hildebrandt qualified for the Senior National team by virtue of her fourth place finish at the Dave Schultz Invitational in Colorado Springs, Colo., back in February. The sophomore found herself in the consolation bracket of the 55-kilogram weight class, but she took five straight victories, all by decision to advance to the third place bout where she narrowly fell to Yajing Gaun of China.

Salata earned her spot on the team by winning the wrestle off at last weekend's University Nationals. The sophomore defeated Brittany David at the 67-kilogram weight class 6-0, 4-1 to capture the spot on the team.

With their previous experiences competing at the junior national level, King head coach Jason Moorman feels confident Hildebrandt and Salata will perform well at the event. "I'm excited to see both Sarah and Julia compete at this level," Moorman added. "It's a great experience for them to be able to wrestle at this level."

The Senior PanAm Games are slated to take place this weekend in Panama City, Panama, with Hildebrandt and Salata competing on Saturday. Follow @KingAthletics on Twitter or check www.KingTornado.com for updates.